


Circulation

by Sodding_Malfoy (Leafyleaf)



Series: Star Trek Bingo 2020 [3]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Best Friends, Drinking, Everyone knows except her, F/F, First Date, Friends to Lovers, Kiradax, Language Barrier, Lust, Nonverbal Communication, Petfic, Romance, Telepathy, alien alcohol, oblivious jadzia, quark's bar and grill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25983043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leafyleaf/pseuds/Sodding_Malfoy
Summary: It's Jadzia's turn to look after Lwaxana's pet vine, and it's been trying to tell her something all night. She is sitting in Quarks Bar with her best friend and longtime crush Kira Nerys, and wants nothing more than to have her feelings reciprocated. Hopefully the alcohol can help her get through the night.Written for the Star Trek Bingo, under the prompt of 'Language Barrier.'
Relationships: Jadzia Dax/Kira Nerys, Odo & Lwaxana Troi
Series: Star Trek Bingo 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885774
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21
Collections: Star Trek Bingo Summer 2020





	Circulation

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Odo stood with one hand under his chin, as he always did when he was nervous.

“Stop being such a worrier, Odo, I’m sure that looking after it for one day can’t be that hard.”

“Are you sure? It’s quite difficult to get along with, and – ”

“Yes,” Jadzia interrupted, Lwaxana’s pet vine tightening around her arm, “we’ll be fine. Have you decided where you two are going off to yet?”

He shifted and gave a heated glare. There was nothing Odo would hate more than disappointing Lwaxana – not even letting Quark’s schemes fall under his radar. 

“There’s a new program that Jake recommended. There’s big sandy beaches, sea that stretches on for miles…”

Jadzia smiled. “That should do it, I think. I hope you two have fun.”

“Me too.”

“Don’t pull that face,” she laughed. “When are you meeting her?”

Odo’s face went even whiter than usual as he gazed over her shoulder. “Right now.”

When the doors whooshed open, Jadzia turned around to see Lwaxana waiting in a long, elegant purple robe. 

“Oh, I’d best be off,” Jadzia winked.

Lwaxana responded with a grin. “Take care, dear.” 

When she stepped past her onto the promenade, she heard the woman’s self-assured telepathic voice in her head. 

_Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it later._

The vine seemed to purr.

Once she was out of Odo’s eyesight, Jadzia’s shoulders dropped from their confident set. She was really happy for her friends and their budding relationship but hearing about their date reminded her that she had one of her own to attend – in theory. She assumed it was a date. Even a hundred lifetimes’ worth of romantic expertise wouldn’t help her to understand Nerys’ intentions. Maybe she was just getting ahead of herself. They’d just be meeting as friends.

The noise from Quark’s bar was almost deafening, as always, but she could still hear the thump of her own heart in her throat as she saw the Major waiting for her across the room. Nerys was sitting at a table with Julian, her head thrown back in a laugh. She was glorious. The beautiful expanse of her neck was a trail from the red of her lips to the top of her uniform, the same red that was hiding the rest of her body from the prying eyes of the outside world. Jadzia wanted to kiss her way down from mouth to clavicle, and push her hands underneath that restrictive fabric, to places she had only seen in her dreams…

The vine coiled around her arm jabbed uncomfortably and deliberately into her armpit.

“You’re right,” sighed Jadzia, “I should be better at controlling myself by now.”

She smiled at Julian when she got closer, and he stood up from his seat to let her take his place. 

“Sorry, Dax, don’t let me get in your way.”

She laughed. “You? In the way? Never. You’re welcome to pull up a chair.”

“Oh, I’d better not,” he politely declined. “Maybe next time. I think Nerys would kill me if I stayed.”

“Oh?”

Kira shook her head good-naturedly. “Pay no attention to him. He’s just being dramatic.”

“Right you are,” he said, and then left with a nod.

Jadzia watched him go with a raised eyebrow. “What a strange man.”

“Are you insulting our good doctor?” 

“Oh, never,” Dax smiled at Kira’s mock outrage. “His strangeness is the best thing about him.”

Now that she was so close to Kira, looking into her expectant eyes, she had no idea what to say, except: 

“You’re still in your uniform. Did you just finish your shift?”

“Just a few minutes ago. I was thinking of rushing back to my quarters to change, but I didn’t want to leave you waiting.”

“That makes sense,” Dax said.

Half of Kira’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “You’re still in uniform too, though.”

“Oh, yes, I suppose I am. Sorry. I got caught up talking to Odo. You know what he’s like, the little chatterbox.”

“Anything interesting going on that I should know about?” Kira’s brow furrowed, as though she was imagining a list of security concerns in her head.

“No, nothing serious. He just wanted my help for a little while.” She extended out her arm across the table for Kira to see. “Lwaxana’s visiting, and it’s my turn on vine duty.”

Kira reached over and stroked the end of the vine, where it was wrapped around Dax’s wrist. Her fingers were torturously close to Jadzia’s skin, so much so that she could almost feel the electricity between them. Her hair stood on end. 

Jadzia gulped. “I would’ve been here earlier, but I was giving the Antican dignitaries a tour of the ship this morning, and they wanted to see absolutely everything. You know what they’re like – it’s so difficult to make them like us that I had to jump through every hoop they wanted me to. Once they join the Federation – if they ever actually decide to – I’ll be glad to never play chaperone again. Oh, and I ran into Miles while I was with them, as well. I could tell he wanted to tell me off for interrupting him, and I think he would’ve, if I’d been alone, our ranks be damned. Could you imagine? I hope the Anticans got a laugh out of that, at least.” She could tell she was rambling, but she really couldn’t help it. Looking into Nerys’ eyes had made her brain into a bowl of Andorian cabbage soup.

“And how did you deal with it?”

“With what?” Jadzia blinked.

“With the smell!” Kira laughed, “and the shedding. Last time they visited I was finding hair in my shoes for weeks after they’d gone again.”

Jadzia laughed back. “You’re right, but I’m glad they can’t hear us!”

“Oh, could you imagine?” Kira sobered up for a second before bursting into laughter again. “We’d never be able to look them in the face!”

Nerys’ cheeks were flushed red, along with the tips of her ears. 

Jadzia cleared her throat. “So, what kind of stuff did you do today? Was there any petty crime you had to deal with?”

Nerys’ fingers had finished stroking the vine, and now her hand laid on top of Dax’s – Jadzia just wished that the hand-holding were intentional.

“Come now Dax, I didn’t ask you here to talk about work.”

Oh. “You didn’t?”

Kira just smiled. 

The vine tightened its grip on Dax’s arm, and she jumped in shock. “Ow! This thing is going to cut off all my circulation!”

“Are you alright?” Kira was on her feet in seconds, trying to fit her hand between the vine and Dax’ arm. “Maybe we should get you down to sickbay.”

The vine relaxed, nuzzling a tip into Kira’s hand. “No, I’m fine, it’s better now. Do you think something spooked it?”

Kira shrugged and sat down again. “Maybe it’s not used to all the loud noise.”

“Are you kidding me? It lives with Lwaxana.”

“Ah. I see your point.”

They were just about to resume their conversation when a shrill, croaky little voice interrupted them. “Major! Lieutenant! How lovely to see you both again, aren’t you looking well?”

Jadzia turned around to look at him. “Good evening, Quark. You don’t look so bad yourself – is that a new brooch?”

“Oh, well, yes, it is. It was a gift from Moogie. 100% Bolian pearl, mined by the best.” He stroked the shining badge on his lapel, then tutted and focussed his attention back on the officers. “Don’t go trying to sweet talk me now, flattery doesn’t get you anywhere. As you know, a Ferengi should never place friendship above profit.”

“Of course, rule 21.” Jadzia said.

“Correct.”

She smiled. “But you mustn’t forget Rule 57, either. Good customers – ”

“are as rare as latinum. You know, Lieutenant, your knowledge of the rulebook really is quite admirable, for a Trill.”

“I’ve had plenty of time to learn.”

“Hm,” he grunted, and pulled at the bottom of his waistcoat. “I suppose you have. So, what brings you lovely ladies here? Business or pleasure? I can recommend you the perfect drink for both.”

Kira sighed and rolled her eyes, but there was none of the hostility there that she used to hold. After knowing Quark for as long as she had, it was difficult not to find him endearing. “I’ll have a Silven Surprise. In fact, make it two. I’ll pay.”

“Oh, an excellent choice, Major! I hope you’re thirsty because one is just never enough when it comes to those. Don’t expect to get them cheap either, imagine what people would say about me!”

“Oh, quite right,” Jadzia nodded seriously, “they’ll think you two have got something going on. Surely, that would go against Rule 229.”  
Kira shuddered. “Perish the thought.”

“Me? And the law enforcement? I think I’m going to vomit in my mouth.” He slapped his hands on the table. “Two Surprises on the way.”

When he was out of earshot – although it’s hard to tell how far that is for a Ferengi – Kira laced her hands together and pursed her lips. “Speaking of romance, what’s going on with you and Captain Boday?”

“Boday?” Jadzia asked. “I thought you said you didn’t want to hear about him.”

“I never said that! I just said I didn’t want to look at him while I was eating.”

“He’s a really nice guy, Nerys, if you’d only give him the chance. I’m sure you’d get along.”

Kira lifted her elbow onto the table so that she could support her chin on her knuckles. “Does that mean you’re going to keep seeing him?”

“No, probably not,” Jadzia shrugged. “We’ve not really got much in common.”

“What? Your brain not pink enough for him?”

Jadzia rolled her eyes. “I did like him though. Something about his smile. Maybe I should pay him a visit later – ow! What is with you today?”

The vine was crushing her arm again, but only for a short moment before it eased itself back to a normal state. It didn’t even seem guilty about it. 

Quark placed a drink down in front of Kira and then one in front of Dax, tucking his tray under one arm. “I think it’s annoyed at you. I’m not surprised, really. I can hear you mooning from behind the bar.”

“I’m not mooning!” She protested. “I’m just saying.”

“Right. I bet that makes the Major feel better.”

She looked at Kira, who was looking down resolutely into her Silven Surprise. “Even if I was dating a man with a clear skull, I’m pretty sure Nerys would still be friends with me.”  
“Right. Friends. Enjoy your drinks.”

“What was all that about?” Jadzia looked at his retreating back, slack jawed.

Kira shrugged, taking a sip of the frothing blue liquid in the glass in front of her. Dax followed suit. It tasted rich and creamy, like an alcoholic milkshake, but with an interesting undertone she couldn’t quite place. In any case, it really was quite moreish. She finished off nearly half of the glass.

When she put her drink down, Kira smiled at her as though she was trying to conceal a laugh. 

“What? What is it?”

Nerys swiped a hand across her own mouth and, when Dax made a cursory lick along her upper lip, she tasted more of the same lovely milkshake. She cursed internally. Trust her to make a fool of herself with a frothy moustache. 

Kira’s shoulders shook as she laughed into her cupped hands, trying to keep the giggles from drawing too much attention. 

“Oh Dax,” she said, “you are absolutely my best friend.”

Despite herself, Dax felt her cheeks get warm. She hadn’t known that Nerys thought of her so fondly. They’d definitely been getting closer, with all the time they spent together role-playing as maidens or warriors on the holodeck, but she’d never thought herself privileged enough to be in Kira’s close circle, never mind a best friend. What about Julian? Or Benjamin? Or Miles? The vine around her arm seemed to purr, vibrating against her soothingly like a sehlat might when it beds down to sleep. 

“Are you having good thoughts?” Kira asked, having calmed down quite considerably. 

Jadzia was still quite dazed. “What do you mean?”

“Good thoughts. Happiness. Your vine seems to be sensing it.”

“Oh.” Dax looked down, not bothering to correct the implication that the vine was a new and permanent pet. “Well, we are having a good time, aren’t we?”

Kira beamed. “Of course.” 

“Maybe it really can understand us.”

“I don’t see why not.” Nerys extended her hand forward as though she was going to initiate an arm wrestle. “There’s only one way to find out.”

Dax, with an air of confidence, clasped Kira’s hand with her own. The vine slithered between them, looping around their connected arms and binding them together. Jadzia could feel the warmth of the other woman’s skin through their uniforms. 

“What’s the plan?” Dax asked, “one squeeze for yes and two for no?”

“I don’t see why not. Is that okay?”

The vine clamped hard around both of their arms, drawing them even closer together.

“I think that was a yes,” Kira said. 

“So, what do you want to ask?”

It was just like Jadzia used to do when she was a kid, way before she was even thinking about joining ceremonies or Starfleet Academy, sitting on the floor of her bedroom with a magic 8-ball. She’d begged her mother to replicate one from the memory banks of 20th century Earth, just so that she could sit on her own and play games of ‘he loves me, he loves me not’ – the answer always some variation of ‘not likely’ or ‘ask me again’. She couldn’t do anything like that now. Not with Nerys sitting there watching her intently with those gorgeous brown eyes. She wondered what Kira would say if she asked aloud whether there was any chance for a romance.

“Do you think Dax and Boday have a future together?” Kira asked.

Two squeezes, fast and strong – a firm ‘no’. Fortunately, Jadzia wasn’t too upset by the revelation. She certainly didn’t doubt the answer either, but she thought that maybe the vine wasn’t quite as intelligent or all-knowing as Kira seemed to believe.

“Alright,” she asked, “how about Boday and Nerys? Should I set them up? A few glasses of wine, a homemade dinner, lights down low…”

Kira laughed, and the vine clenched a negative again. Kira downed what was left of her drink then nodded towards Jadzia’s, eyes becoming slightly glassier as the alcohol sank in.  
“Should she finish that quickly so I can buy her another one?”

The vine said ‘yes’, so Dax picked up the glass with her free hand and took a sip (more of a gulp) that filled her with the delightful warmth of inebriation. She got down to the last dregs of her drink before her mouth filled with something slimy and thick, and her face contorted as though her mouth was trying to escape the sensation.

“Oh, that’s revolting!”

“That’s the ‘Surprise.’”

Jadzia spat it back into the glass. “Is this frogspawn?”

The vine said ‘yes’ again, and Kira nodded. Her own slimy frogspawn was still in the bottom of her glass. “On Silvex VII, it’s considered quite the delicacy. Don’t worry though, they’re the replicated sort. They won’t grow up and mature.”

“Lucky us,” Dax said wryly, “the last thing this station needs is a plague of giant poison frogs.”

“You sure got that right. It’s your turn to ask something.” Kira waved towards Quark, and he began to make his way over.

Jadzia bit her lip. “Alright. Have you ever been in love?”

“What?” Kira blinked. “I don’t think it knows the answer to that.”

She felt like an idiot. “Right, I’m sorry. I forgot what we were doing.”

“Try asking it something about money,” suggested Quark as he reached the table. “Or should I bet on Morn talking my ear off again tonight?”

Kira gestured over at the bar, where Morn was taking up his usual seat. “I don’t think you need our help for that one.”

“Maybe not,” Quark sighed, putting new drinks in front of them. “At least he comes with deep pockets.”

“See you later, Quark,” Kira said pointedly.

He looked back over at Morn. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Jadzia felt almost sorry for him. Even before Quark got back to the bar, Morn was flagging him down for a drink. She couldn’t imagine how loud and painful the man’s voice would seem if she had Ferengi ears.

“It’s a good question,” Kira said a few moments later.

“What is? About Morn?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, that was a stupid question. I meant yours.”

“Oh.” Jadzia had regretted asking as soon as it came out of her mouth, because she was certain she wouldn’t like the answer, regardless of what it was.  
“I like to think I’ve been in love.”

Jadzia’s stomach soured. “With who? Bariel? Shakaar?”

“No, not them. Not really, now I think about it. They were both men I admired, definitely, and all my feelings came from that. It wasn’t love.”

That answer shocked her, and it looked as though saying the words out loud had shocked Kira as well. The vine was barely even gripping them now, instead leaving them clasping hands with their elbows on the table as though they were locked in an arm wrestle. Neither of them wanted to let go. Kira picked up her drink.

“If not them,” Jadzia asked, “then who?”

Kira shrugged. “What about you?”

“I’ve lived through so many lifetimes, and flings, and marriages. Of course, I’ve been in love.”

“Oh, stop it,” Kira said, seeing through the avoidance and bravado. “I’m asking about you, Jadzia, not Dax as a whole.”

She took a big swig of her drink, trying to delay her answer. The vine worked its way slowly back to her upper arm, purring reassuringly. “I’d like to think I have too.”

Nerys nodded, looking down at the table. “Do I know him?”

“Him?” She blinked in surprise. “Why would you think it’s a man?”

“Well, I don’t know. I’ve not really thought about it. I just assumed.”

Jadzia shook her head. “The Trill are equal opportunity lovers, especially once we’ve been joined. It’s difficult to think of gender or sexuality as a binary thing when our people can change both so often.”

“I suppose that makes sense. You’ve had wives before, so a part of you must still have the capacity to love them.” She pushed her empty glass aside. “I could see myself with a woman too.”

For some reason, Jadzia hadn’t expected that. “Really?” 

“Well, yes,” Kira shrugged, “I just haven’t really had a chance to explore that side of me yet. While I was in the resistance I was thinking about survival, not dating, and I guess I just haven’t had the chance to do it on the station. I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.”

Jadzia’s mind felt as though it was turning into cottage cheese. Maybe it was the alcohol, but even the suggestion of a chance of dating Nerys was almost more than she could bear. Could the Major really ever like her like that? 

The vine squeezed once, pulling her back into the present. Yes. Could this thing read her mind? She felt herself blush as she realised all of the longing and inappropriate thoughts she must have been subjecting it to over the evening.

She looked up at Nerys. Who was equally flushed in the face. “Why did you invite me here? Just to talk again as good friends?”

“I don’t know.” Kira bit her lip. “Everyone else seems to think I like you.”

“And do you? Like me?”

“Yes. I think I do.”

Jadzia’s hand was warm and sweaty in Nerys’ grip, but she would’ve rather died than let go. “I think I like you too.”

“You think?”

“I know.” Her upper lip was sweating, as though she had contracted Rugalan fever, only with less dizziness and more butterflies in the stomach. “Can I kiss you?”

The vine, reading their minds, signalled a ‘yes’ just as Nerys’ said, “I think I’ll go mad if you don’t.”

Dax beamed and leaned across the table.

**Author's Note:**

> I wonder how Odo and Lwaxana's date went! If you also wonder, check out my fic 'Golden Sands' and find out for yourself...
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984012


End file.
